In certain counties, the commissioners court may establish street lights on county roads and set related fees, while the county tax assessor-collector must bill and collect those fees.
Sec. 280.003. STREET LIGHTS ON COUNTY ROADS IN CERTAIN COUNTIES. (a) This section applies only to the unincorporated area of a county: (1) that has any of its territory located within 150 miles of an international boundary; (2) with a population of more than 650,000 that is adjacent to two counties, each of which has a population of more than 1.8 million; or (3) with a population of more than 3.3 million. (b) The commissioners court of a county may by order provide for the establishment of street lights along a county road. The order may provide for: (1) the installation, operation, and maintenance of the street lights by: (A) the county; or (B) another public or private entity with which the county may contract; (2) the imposition of a fee on landowners who benefit from the street lights; (3) the collection of a fee imposed under this subsection by the county tax assessor-collector; and (4) any other matter the commissioners court finds necessary to the installation, operation, or maintenance of the street lights. (b-1) Street lights installed by a county: (1) must be installed in a subdivision if the lights are installed by a county described by Subsection (a)(1); and (2) may not be located on private property if the lights are installed by a county described by Subsection (a)(2) or (3). (c) This section does not supersede applicable provisions for street light service contained in the tariff of an electric utility that provides service to the area in which the lights are installed. (d) The county tax assessor-collector of a county in which a fee is imposed under this section shall include the fee in the tax bill prepared under Section 31.01, Tax Code, for each landowner whose real property is benefited by the street lights for which the fee is imposed. The tax bill must separately state the amount of the fee imposed under this section. The county tax assessor-collector shall collect the fee for the county in the same manner that the county tax assessor-collector collects ad valorem taxes for the county. (e) A commissioners court may obtain a lien against real property benefited by the street lights for which a fee is imposed under this section to secure payment of the fee. To obtain the lien, the commissioners court must file a notice with the county clerk of the county in which the property is located that includes: (1) a statement that the fee has been imposed on the landowner and the amount of the fee; (2) a legal description of the property on which the lien is to be attached sufficient to identify the property; and (3) the name of the landowner, if known. (f) The lien authorized by this section exists in favor of the county. The lien attaches to the real property on the date the notice of lien is filed with the county clerk. The lien is inferior to a mortgage lien recorded with the county clerk before the date the lien authorized by this section attaches to the property. A county may not foreclose a lien authorized by this section if the lien is the only lien attached to the property. Added by Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1183 (H.B. 573), Sec. 1, eff. June 15, 2007. Amended by: Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 660 (H.B. 3002), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2015. Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1185 (H.B. 3714), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2019. Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1185 (H.B. 3714), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2019.